I have an 18x4 Intex pool that has fulfilled its duty as a pool. However, it now has a very, leaky ring that will not hold air. I would love to hear of some ideas for recycling or reusing all of this vinyl.
RE: Recycling A Vinyl Pool
I built a very large three tiered fountain. At Home Depot they sell these really pretty decorative blocks, mine are a rose colored. My lining was actually shower pan liner, but you could use a pool liner. I would put a layer of decorative blocks in a large circle. Inside the circle you can add sand to keep the weeds down then a layer of plastic to also keep the bottom of the fountain soft and weed free. Then I added another layer of decorative stones, staggering them. Next you take your liner and lay it out inside your circle, smoothing out the liner as best as you can. At this time you can start to add a little water just to help the plastic liner flow into place. Now add your fountain. I did set the guts to my fountain on a masonery block in the center of the pool, add underwater lighting, working the electrical lines over the decorative stones.
I turned mine into an aquaponic garden and grew almost 400 pounds of fish, vegetables and fruit over a 10 month season. Here is a link to a photo: bit.ly/
You could donate it to a school who could then use the vinyl in art projects. Or perhaps you could cut it up and keep a few of the pieces as patches for leaky blow up toys that are nearing the end of their life cycles.
You could use it for a tarp to cover your riding lawn mower or tractor. Or you could use it when raking leaves; just rake leaves onto the liner, and pull to where ever you need to. Or, this is not really a green tip because it would not break down eventually, but I am constantly on the look out for things that I can use underneath mulch, to keep the weeds from growing.
You could cut as much as possible into a very long and say 6 ft wide piece and use as a water slide for the yard or try putting together some pvc pipes in the design of a tent top and add it over it to make a play tent for the kids and cut flap style windows in the sides for air or just leave the windows cut out. What about cutting pieces the shape of tires to cover any tires like camper or motor homes tires to keep them from being exposed to the sun to prevent dry rot. You might even could make a tree hammock from it.
The large vinyl is great for lining your vehicle's trunk when hauling around something messy like spring plants, bags of rock salt, potting soil, etc. I've also bought another pool and used the old liner bottom to sit the new pool over.
Also, the pool liner is great for covering our Amish made porch swing during winter months.
After several attempts at purchasing these pools only having them to leak air around the upper seam in short time, I stopped purchasing. They are not that cheap to buy for what little time it was only lightly used. I gave up. WalMart will not refund and you have to go through the pool company and send the top ring back to them before getting a refund. Save your register tape.
Cut the pool in to sizes that you think you will need and use as you would any tarp. For painting, under mulch in a garden etc.
It could be used as a planter, a sandbox, a playpen type enclosure for young ones in the yard, a compost bin, a jello or mud wrestling bin, a private and clean little area for you, a lounge chair, a book and a cold drink. ;0)
This idea came from a blog turned into a book called the "3-Hour farm." You can find it on Amazon.
We have been cutting our old pool liner up and using under landscape projects..under fake grass and rock..no weeds !!!!! ...we need more for our fire pit area to go under Rock and benches
what about turning the vinyl pool into a rather fetching dress and jacket and lining it with 5 layers of semi-translucent matte finish fish-safe PVC sheeting you know to give the skirt some body, just an Idea you don't have to make it unless you want also all seems should be sown with see-through thread then sealed with strips of the vinyl on both sides of the seam using vinyl weld not heat as you don't want to be inhaling nasty fumes.
How did you do this? Its spectacular!
What a genius idea!!! Thats enough food for an entire neighborhood! I saw the picture, and Id like to replicate your design.
